The present invention relates to a helicopter engine-drive assembly.
On helicopters, the engine and the unit driving the rotors and utilities are known to be connected by means of an articulated member located between the engine casing and the outer casing on the said drive unit.
The said articulated member usually comprises a tubular body consisting of two segments, one integral with a wall on the said drive casing and the other integral with the engine casing, the said two segments being connected by a universal joint and housing a propeller shaft connecting the output on the engine to the input on the said drive unit.
Employment of the said articulated member and universal joint may cause problems if the said universal joint, as is usually the case, consists of an elastomer joint. If such is the case, the propeller shaft and the said drive unit may only be removed by detaching the engine from the supports securing it to the helicopter structure and removing it from the structure itself.